LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 2, 2021) — University of Kentucky Information Technology Services (ITS) would like to encourage all students, faculty and staff to contribute to UK’s cybersecurity posture by becoming familiar with the best ways to report unwanted emails in your inbox. Phishing and Junk — What are they? What’s the difference? Phishing is defined as emails that attempt to obtain sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card information for malicious reasons. Junk, also referred to as spam, is a term for unsolicited messages sent to your email account. It is important to note that while all phishing is considered junk or spam, not all junk is phishing. While junk mail is unsolicited, it is typically not malicious (e.g., advertisements, promotional mailing lists). Knowing the difference between these two email types helps to report the messages correctly.